We´ve made it to Spain and have been spending all our time adjusting to the new language and customs and now we are high up in the mountains in Foncebadon at an overcrowded albergue …. sleeping on mats on the floor in the yoga room off the barnyard with the goats and donkey and chickens: How did we get here?
We took the train and the bus to the French border town of St. Jean Pied de Port, found an albergue and tried to book another albergue for the next day 8km up the mountain so we wouldn´t have to do 25 kilometers the first day to Roncesvalles. Orrison was full so we ended up at Huntto only 5 k from St. Jean. The view was gorgeous from our room … even 5 k up the mountain yielded spectacular vistas and a gradual reentry into walking: Dinner was also amazing and we made several new friends from Germany, Italy, France and Ireland. The next day the sunrise was spectacular over the foothills and the weather was perfect for taking the higher, more scenic Napoleon route, (and more deadly in bad weather). The hike was incredible, the views stunning and the exersion stunning as well! We passed flocks of sheep and wild horses. The sunn was warm but the wind was very cool so the climb was manageable: At the Virgin of Orrison Clara left her violin tuning peg that she had been wearing as a necklace, as a momento for Oliver. I´m sure he would be pleased with it there very beautiful!
Near the peak of the highest pass of the Pyrenees we came upon Martha Gay. She is walking with her harp all the way to Santiago! She pulls it behind her on a one wheel frame attached to her waist with a harness! We thought we were crazy carrying a violin, but we are merely eccentric! Martha is crazy, but delightfully so!
At Roncesvalles that night Martha and Clara played together in the thirteenth centrury stone albergue that housed over 100 pilgrims on one room in row upon row of bunk beds. Pilgrims were delighted to be drifting off to sleep after such a hike to the sound of medieval harp music and fiddle tunes. Very fun! After the 10pm lights out Clara recorded a few minutes of the snoring symphony of 100 exhausted pilgrims. At 6am the lights were switched on and a man in a loud voice began singing gregorian chant and urging us to wake up in many languages, all sung, to wake up and begin to walk again: What a wild experience!
The next day we descended slowly and painfully to Zubiri. The downhill is much harder on the bones and joints than the uphill: And it was hot and exhuasting to walk in the heat. We walked with a group of Germans off and on, Sebatian, David, Natalie, Nicole. In response to the music the night before, David gave Clara a tuning fork that he had carried with him since he was a child givien to him by his uncle who was a trumpet player…. a very special item for him as a musician and we were very touched that he thought enough of Clara that he would give it to her. In Zubiri we sat in the river to cool off … it felt great! Dinner and great conversation with a family from San Francisco.
The next day we set off for Pamplona and were caught in an incredible thunder and lightening and rain storm: Our stuff was wet even through our rain clothes – even the violin case was seeping in the sides but the violin was okay. Eventually Clara couldn´t take the stress any more of the intense weather so we caught a taxi the rest of the way to Pamplona and booked into a very nice Albergue and re-met Robert, andolder pilgrim we had seen in Nasbinals way back in France on day when I was sick and he had bad blisters! And here we both were in Pamplona Spain, by somewhat different routes! As Clara slept I went out and came upon a Corpus Christi parade full of 1st communion kids in their best white dresses, families all dressed up, priests, shrines, incense and a great marching band! They wound their way through the whole old town on the streets strewn with fresh greens and rose petals!
After Pamlona Clara and I had to tke trains and buses to meet up with Alex who was arriving in Leon June 9th. We trained to Burgos and marvelled at the cathedral and ate tapas and window shopped. The next day we took the bus to Leon. We met three Mexicans on the bus – one who was a university professor in Montreal, who told us we have to stay at the Parador San Marcos to really experience Leon… a five star hotel that is in a building that was once a pilgrim refugio in the middle ages. So we walked with them to this truely amazing palcial building. Our guide negotiated a good pilgrim rate for us so Clara and I booked a room for the following night when Alex would arrive! What fun!. Meanwhile the rainy weather continued so we spent our time looking at the wonderous stained glass in Leon cathedral and the Mosarabic scalloped arches in San Obispo? church. The we checked into our pacial suite early and slept and waited til we could pick up Alex at the Leon airport.
June 10 we spent the morning showing a blissed out Alex the sights of Leon while he told us all about what he learned about scotch whiskey distillation on his distilleriy tours on his few days in Scotland! In the afternoon we took a bus to Astorga and then began walking 5k to a tiny municipal albergue with a man with a donkey and a well liquored host. Very amusing evening.
Today we hiked 22k up and up to Foncebadon through 7 hours of a head wind and spitting blowing rain, and now we are up in the mists of the mountains waiting for our pilgrim meal with a veritable united nations of pilgrims and I´m going to regret sitting still so long at the computer with my muscles seizing up to write this. Tomorrow we go to Cruz de Ferro to leave our stone for Dad-grandpa that the whole family signed. A good day and very intense, too!
